Brazil

Friday, May 31st 2019 - 09:52 UTC
The centennial anniversary of the Sobral Eclipse, a feat of Brazilian and British astronomers

May 29th marked the one hundred year anniversary of the Sobral Eclipse. Six minutes of darkness a century ago put Brazil and the UK at the heart of what was possibly one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century.
Friday, May 31st 2019 - 09:20 UTC
Brazil 's Attorney General sues Philips Morris and British American Tobacco

Brazil is following the U.S. and Canada in taking on Big Tobacco, becoming the first country in Latin America to sue cigarette makers over the financial toll of smoking. Brazil’s attorney general’s office, known as the AGU, last week sued the two largest cigarette manufacturers in the country, Phillip Morris International and British American Tobacco, to cover the costs of treating patients with 26 tobacco-related diseases over the past five years.
Thursday, May 30th 2019 - 09:59 UTC
Bill to weaken environmental protection of the Amazon forest fails in Brazilian congress

An attempt by Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and lawmakers backed by big agriculture to weaken environmental laws protecting the Amazon forest and other biomes has failed, as Congress will not vote into law a decree that weakened existing legislation.
Wednesday, May 29th 2019 - 10:03 UTC
Brazil's iron ore industry misery, a boom for Australian big miners

Iron ore prices look set to be stronger for longer, potentially delivering windfall profits for West Australia’s big miners for the next two years. As the iron ore price hit a five-year high of US$107.50/t this week, analysts have begun scrambling to revise their estimates as they start to digest the impact of supply disruptions out of Brazil and how long the outages could linger.
Wednesday, May 29th 2019 - 09:19 UTC
Bolsonaro begins to master negotiations with Congress with a timely victory

Brazil’s Senate on Tuesday voted to approve right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s decree to revamp the executive branch, averting a potential crisis that had sown doubt about his ability to obtain the congressional backing he needs to push through legislation.
Wednesday, May 29th 2019 - 09:13 UTC
Federal Judge concludes president Bolsonaro's attacker suffers from mental health

A man who stabbed Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during his campaign last September suffers from mental health issues, a federal judge has concluded. Judge Bruno Savino ruled on Monday that Adélio Bispo de Oliveira was not fully aware of his actions at the time and cannot be jailed over the incident.
Wednesday, May 29th 2019 - 09:10 UTC
Brazilian prison gang leaders moved to maximum security jails

Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday that the prison gang leaders responsible for killing 55 inmates in prisons across the northern city of Manaus will be moved to maximum security federal jails.
Wednesday, May 29th 2019 - 09:06 UTC
International capital inflow to Brazil exceeds forecasts

Brazil posted a surprise current account deficit in April, central bank data showed on Monday, although as a share of national economic output Brazil's balance of payments shortfall with the rest of the world is showing signs of stabilizing.
Tuesday, May 28th 2019 - 09:47 UTC
Brazil's Guedes insists he will step down if the pensions reform is not approved by Congress

Brazil’s Economy Minister Paulo Guedes threatened to step down if his ambitious plans to overhaul the country’s social security system are watered down and diluted into what he called a “little reform.”
Tuesday, May 28th 2019 - 09:03 UTC
Brazil's once richest man fined US$ 134 million for insider trading

Eike Batista, once the richest man in Brazil, has been fined around US$134 million for insider trading, the securities commission said on Monday as the ex-billionaire remains under house arrest pending an appeal against a 30-year jail sentence.